Mica splitting apparatus



1952 M. D. HEYMAN MICA SPLITTING APPARATUS Filed May 26, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l m T m m M055: 0 HZ-YMAN @M QM/MM M. D. HEYMAN MICA SPLITTING APPARATUS Oct. 7, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May 26, 1950 INVENTOR. M0555 0 HEYMAN ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 7, 1952 'MIoA SPLITTING APPARATUS Moses D.; Heyman, Woodmere, N. Y. Application May 26', 1950, Serial No. 164,333

This invention relates to apparatus for splitting piecesof mica, the same being more particularly employed in the production Ofintegrated mica as disclosed in my'PatentNuinber's 2,405,576 and 2,490,129. The present apparatus is an improvement of the micasplitting means shown in said patents.

An object of the present invention is to provide novel mica splitting apparatus wherein the force of splitting jets is so applied that improved circulation of the mica pieces that are being split is obtained, such improved circulation affording a more frequent presentation of the mica pieces to the action of the jets with resultant improved splitting efiiciency. f

Another object of the invention is to provide a multichamber disintegrator in which the initial or lowermost chamber more eflicientlycirculates and splits mica pieces placedtherein.

Another object of the invention is to" provide means that creates backpressure in the chambers of the disintegrator during operationthereof, by retarding flow from each chamber to the 6 Claims. (Cl. 125-24) one next above, and to provide novel means receptive of and storing liquid displaced from the disintegrator chambers under such conditions of pressure, said storedliquid being utilized, when the operation of the disintegrator has: been stopped, to float mica splittings upwardly from one chamber to the other.

A further object of the invention isto provide mica splitting apparatus designed to aiford a visual check of the circulation in the chambers of the disintegrator and particularlythe lowermost chamber, so that the rate of-feed of mica pieces thereinto can be determined toobviate clogging and for maintaining the operationat maximum efficiency.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of improved and flexible construction, particularly in the improved design-of the jet means, whereby the same can be easily and quickly replaced when worn or otherwise rendered inefficient.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method for splitting mica in which the splitting operation is alternately started and stopped to, alternately increase and relieve the pressure in the splitting chambers to, thereby, intermittently float the lighter splittings upwardly through the successive chambers.

Other objects of the invention are to provide novel combinations and arrangements of parts and novel details of construction, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. Theaccompanying drawings merely show and the description merely describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the

same being given by way of illustration or exam ple only.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of mica splitting apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevationalview thereof seen in the ,direction of arrow 2 of Fig; 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view as taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. i

The present mica splitting apparatus com prises, generally, a disintegrator 5,a supports therefor, liquid-receiving and mica-piece feeding means i connected to. the disintegrator-at the lower end thereof, and means 8 to feed liquid from an inlet 9 to the disintegrator to split mica pieces therein.

The disintegrator 5 comprises an elongated body casting l0 inwhich is provided a series of chambers ll, l2, I3, Hi, i5 and I6 arranged from the lower end of said castingupward. The lowermost chamber H is preferably larger than those above and the latter may be successively smaller or.of the same size, as desired. As

shown, chamber i2 is somewhat larger and chamber 16 somewhatfsmaller than chambers '13, I4 and I5. Said chambers are formedas through openings extending from front to back of casting iii. The chambers maybe of oval form, as

shown, or of the circular form of chamber; It, although the oval form-is desired for at least the lower chambers of .the series.

Between adjacent chambers and serving to connect them, there are provided throats ll, [3, i9, 23 and 2| from the bottom upward, throat ll being widest and the others being successively narrower, substantially as shown.

Against the back face of casting iii, there is placed a back plate 22 to close thechambers at the back, a suitable gasket 23 being interposed to. seal against leakage from the chambers, At the front of casting Hi, there is placed a transparent face plate 24 that is removably held in place by a set of clamps 25, a gasket 26 serving 7 to seal between plate 24 and the front face of casting It. Thus, the chambers are closed front and back and are in communication with each other only through the throats above described.

The disintegrator is provided with an outlet 27 that consists of a short tube carried by face plate 24. Said outlet is aligned with uppermost chamber 16 and receives flow therefrom. The inlets in improved operation, although a vertical position has 'given'results only slightly less satisfactory than those obtained by an angular position.

The disintegrator is supported in its tilted posi; tion by a support structure 6 secured to lateral brackets 29 provided on body casting l0.

The mica-piece feeding means 1 comprises a substantially vertical funnel 30 that has a slaping lower end 3| which, through a suitable s an:

I lots with relation to the throats thereabove and to achieve the desired tangency with the wall of the chamber into which the jets are directed.

Operation The apparatus is filled with liquid through funnel and will accept liquid only to the level indicated at 55 without overflowing through outlet=21. Then pieces of m ica are dropped into the funnel and the same will fall to the bottom of chamber l I, said pieces being of such size and weight as to sink to the bottom. Valve 53 is then opened so that additional liquid enters the chaming in back plate 22 of the distintegrator, enters into lowermost chamber II. It will be noted that the top of the funnel is considerably higher than the upper end 'of the disintegrator and that the liquid capacity 'ofthe same is consider-' ably greater thanthaltfbf" the disintegrator chambers. Said funnel is advantageously made of transparent plastic so that the liquid'levels therein are visible from the outside. A'flange 32, secured by suitable bolts, serves to" mount the funnel onthe back wall 22 "of the disintegrator.

The liquid-feeding means 8. comprises a series of tubes 33, 34, 35, 36 'jand3,l,fe xtending transversely through the lips, on one; side, thatv define the throats IT to '2l."E ach tube, as suggested in Fig. 1, is provided with a line of perforations 38 that is so positioned' thatjliquid discharged therefrom v wilrbe directed tangentially to impinge on the walls of the respective chambers immediately beneath the lips 38 opposite to the lips 'throughwhich the perforated tubes extend. The perforations are so' spaced that jets of liquid from each tube constitute'eifective curtains cr' barriers to flow upwardly from one chamber to another." The action of the jets, as more clearly shown at 39 ofFig. 3, will be more fully described hereinafter.

In addition to tube 33, chamber II is provided with two tubes 40 extending across opposite sides of said chamber. Said tubes 40' each have a line of perforations 4| so positioned thatthe resultant jets 42 are also directed to'bei tangentialto the wall of chamber (the threje jets 39 42,42, being mutually arranged to drive or swirl liquid in said chamber in one'*direction, in this case, clock-wise as viewed through faceplate;

Tubes 40 are fed directly from inlet 31in which is provided a T fitting 43, pipes-'44, provided with suitable connection unions, connec ting tubes 40 with T fitting 43.

A manifold 45 receives flow from the T fitting 43 through a connection 46, and thech'arnberfl of said manifold is connected-by-pipes 48, 49, 50, 5| and 52 to the respectivetubes 33 to 31. On the inlet side of the T fitting 43, there is provided a flow control valve 53, and a pressure gauge is provided for manifold chamber 41 to show the pressure of liquid therein so that valve 53 may be set accordingly;

Because of the highpressure of the liquid, perforations 38 and '41, in time, enlarge'n with a resultant lowering-of thejet velocity and pressure. When this oc curathe tubes 33 to 3l and the tubes 40 can be readily replaced by breaking the unions connecting them to their respective feed pipes and withdrawing to 'sameifrom their seats in housing I 0. Also, these "tubes can be rotated in their seats to adjust the angle of the bers in the form of high pressure jets 39 and 42.

In practice, the force of these jets is in the nature of 500 lbs per square inch. Therefore, the jets have considerable power to split the mica pieces at such time that any edge of said pieces is impinged by the jets.

With particular reference to Fig. 3, it will be n t atiet 3. e derlibyjets 42, mee tsa w ing motion toth'efliquid in, chamber H in the ec i of heeurl es ar ows. h m ca. p eces in the liquid being swirled and rotated accordingly. Centrifugal" force throws these pieces out- Wardly and, in following the course of least rei tene t a sum anosi en nera y gential to theperipheraljfa'ceof the chamber. Disposed in thism n 'n ,"theinica piecesmove in a p th w eby. ,ey substantia y pa al el to the Jets as they-met the eb Accordin y, the jets 3.9 and 42 eachhave' many,opportunities. to, strike againstthe traili'zig edgelsjof themica Pieces and to split thesame; as suggested in Fig. 3. It willbe understood their/the yelocityt otthe'jets is considerably greateritlianth'espeed of rotation of the mass of. waterjor. ot er: liquid and the pieces of mica therein sogthatl's'aid,highvelocity of the,

jets is highly efie velasl a' 'splitting force.

In practice, thefsplittirigfiaction visfcarried .out only for a matterofisomefiveTseconds and, during that shortpe riodfsoiiie 35 i l-uh ir l; of liquid is 'added' to the liquidalreadyin the apparatus.

Since the velocity orjtffl is'of such. magnitude. as to, ineifect',}'serveja1s; a gate orbarrie'rlto upward flow from ithe fch'amber, considerable pressure is createdin 'jthfezbh'aiiiber resulting'in flow from the chambenintol'the'lfunnel against the relatively low head of liquid finsaid funneh Thus, thehead in the fumi lisfincreasedYduring jet operation to thel hiigher'level' 56,an'd considerably above the level ofputle t 27.

After the shortlperiodiof application, jet

pressure, valve-'53 .i's cl sed; to step further flow. Since the higher level fifiiaturally seeks the lower level in the disintegrator, the liquid in the funnel, at low pressure, flows back intochambenl I causing a lifting of, the. quiescent liquid' iii the chamber, Thus, thinly.- split and buoyant mica fiake's,

in said liquid will be lifted from chamber 1 l past throat I 1, into chaniberll; This quiesce nt period is also relatively.,short, amatter. of some five seconds. 4'

The foregoing constitutes one cycle of. operation and is repeated -.to obtain intermittent I dis charge of mica -laden;,liqu id; from the disintegrator. For eachcycle; of. operation, the. mica.

split in the lowermost. chamber H provides smaller pieces arid flakes that fioat.into cham-- ber I2. In thesame manner, chamber 12- carries out its splitting operation, simultaneously, and provides stillsmaller splittings tliat float upward into chamber [3. Consequently, the

mica fiakesthat eventually .float intochamber l6 are quite thin and exit from outlet 21.

The perforations 38 are so closely spaced that the barriers formed by jets 39 are highly efficient to prevent upward flow in the disintegrator and, in practice, no liquid is observed flowing out of outlet 21 during the operation of the jets, such flow being had only during the quiescent period of the cycle of operation. From time to time,

additional mica pieces are deposited into the funnel and, by observing the rotation of the pieces while the jets are on, the rate of feed of said pieces can be" determined so as to obtain high output without clogging of the apparatus.

The product obtained at outlet 21 may be used for producing sheets of integrated mica or the same may be screened so that the larger particles and thicker flakes may be sent through a smaller but similar splitting apparatus for further reduction in size or thickness.

Of course, the number of splitting chambers may vary according to the gauge of splittings desired as also may be the number of splitting devices that are employed in series.

A variation entails making the back plate 22 transparent instead of opaque. The action in the chambers of the disintegrator can be better observed by lighting from behind when both back and front plates are transparent.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction disclosed, but desire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, is:

1. In apparatus of the character described, a mica disintegrating unit comprising an elongated housing having a series of connected chambers for circulating pieces of mica in a liquid medium, said chambers being connected by restricted throats, the housing being provided with pairs of opposed lips defining said throats and one lip of each pair having a seat formed therein extending transversely of the housing, said unit being disposed so that the chambers are one above the other, and a liquid receiving tube rotationally adjustably fitted in each seat and having a line of perforations directed to throw a line of jets of said liquid across each throat and tangentially against the wall defining the chamber therebelow.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a mica disintegrating unit comprising an elongated housing having a series of connected chambers for circulating pieces of mica in a liquid medium, said chambers being connected by restricted throats, the housing being provided with pairs of opposed lips defining said throats and one lip of each pair having a seat formed therein extending transversely of the housing, said unit being disposed so that the chambers are one above the other, a liquid receiving tube rotationally adjustably fitted in each seat and having a line of perforations directed to throw a line of jets of said liquid across each throat and tangentially against the wall defining the chamber therebelow,

said lines of jets constituting a barrier to circu- 7 lation of the liquid in the unit from a lower to an upper chamber, said barrier creating a pressure in each lower chamber that displaces the liquid therein downwardly, and a funnel connected at the bottom to the lowermost chamber and receptive of the liquid displaced from the chambers by the lines of jets.

3. In apparatus according to claim 2: the housing being provided on at least one side with a transparent closure plate affording visual inspection of the chambers and of the directions of the lines of jets, whereby control of the circulation of the mica pieces and the rotational adjustment of the tubes may be accurately effected.

4. In a mica disintegrating unit, a housing having at least two chambers arranged one above the other for circulating pieces of mica in a liquid medium, said housing having opposed lips defining a throat between said chambers, the lip on one side being provided with an open seat therealong, a perforated liquid receiving tube rotationally adjustably disposed in said seat and the perforations being directed toward the open side of the seat to direct a line of jets of liquid from the tube across the throat and tangentially against the wall of the lower of said chambers below the opposite lip, said line of jets constituting a barrier to flow of liquid from the lower to the upper chamber and the same inducing circulation of the liquid in the lower chamber and, consequently, circulation of the mica pieces therein, and a pair of perforated tubes on opposite sides of the lower chamber and arranged parallel to the mentioned tubes, said latter tubes being rotationally adjustable to direct jets of liquid in a direction aiding the mentioned circulation of liquid and mica pieces in the lower chamber, whereby the centrifugal force on the mica pieces resulting from the mentioned circulation, moves said pieces in a path adjacent to the wall of the lower chamber and, whereby said mica pieces assume a disposition substantially parallel to the mentioned three jets as they move past said jets which, thereby, impinge on the trailing edges of the mica pieces to split them.

5. In a mica disintegrating unit according to claim 4: the housing being provided on one side with a transparent closure plate affording visual inspection of the chambers and of the directions of the lines of jets, whereby control of the circulation of the mica pieces and the rotational adjustment of the tubes may be accurately effected.

6. In a mica disintegrating unit, a housing having a circulating chamber formed therein, said chamber having an open restricted top throat, a pair of inreaching lips defining said throat, one of said lips having an open-sided seat formed therein along the length thereof, and a liquid-receiving tube rotationally adjustably fitted in said seat and having a line of perforations directed to throw a line of jets of said liquid across said throat and tangentially against the wall of said chamber below the opposite lip.

MOSES D. HEYMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,666,130 Frederick Apr. 1'7, 1928 2,380,741 Fisher July 31, 1945 2,405,576 Heyman Aug. 13, 1946 2,490,129 Heyman Dec. 6,1949 

